Guest Post: The Community Boating Community, by Peggy Melmoth

I'm really pleased to bring you this guest post from dear Peggy of Narrowboat Wife, on a new community boating project. Please show your support for this project by visiting her new website and sharing. Thanks Peggy :)

Peggy steering a small narrowboat

First I’d like to thank Zoë for allowing me to guest post here.

I just want to draw your attention to a new blog, which is about a different kind of boating: community boating.

The canals and waterways are the love of my life; I’m passionate about the idea that they should be accessible for all, regardless of ability or personal finances. So I've started working with the National Community Boating Association to publicise news from their members, based right across the UK.

The NCBA is a group of community boating organisations that want to bring boating to their local communities. So I suppose it is a community of communities!

I've started a new blog over at http://national-cba.com/ and I'd really appreciate it if you'd pop over and read my first post, which explains what we do. If you don't really know anything about community boating this blog will keep you updated with the variety of people that can now get access to the waterways.

All of us are part of our local community, and yet sometimes members of our community can feel isolated. Imagine if you lived right beside a canal all of your life but because of some disadvantage (perhaps financial or physical) you had never dreamed that you could actually go on a boat trip one day yourself.

Community boating organisations allow ordinary people to temporarily join the boating community and have an insight into an alternative way of living. To find out more about how we do this please visit the community boating blog.

Thanks.
Peggy

Peggy Melmoth is a mother, freelance writer and blogger. She writes a personal blog at www.narrowboatwife.com

The Big Secret and How it Affects You

"How long will it last, this peace I have found... It is all of life that I contemplate - sun, clouds, time that passes and abides. Occasionally it is also that other world, foreign now, that I left centuries ago. The modern, artificial world where man has been turned into a money-making machine to satisfy false needs, false joys." - Bernard Moitessier, The Long Way.

The Strangles, North Cornwall

In about 2 weeks' time, we will be gone from here. We will have given up our boat (the one that was meant to be our home for the next 20-30 years or more), our business (already being sold off as I type), and Father Earthly will have reduced his working hours by almost half. We are breaking with pretty much everything, in fact, in an attempt to change our lives for the better.

Fancy a boat? Have a look :)

These last 2 years or so have been so tough, and we have forgotten how to laugh properly, how to find joy in the little things. That is what we need to regain at all costs.


When we embarked on our adventures in our lovely green camper 3 1/2 years ago, it was to seek a much simpler life, a more spontaneous way of living, and quite frankly to have more fun. And by god so we did! But then our little sproglets came along and complicated things. Suddenly, even our simple way of looking at things became fraught with stumbling blocks and much weariness. Father Earthly's work and my business got in the way of enjoying our family and creating a home. Stress and anxiety and immense fatigue prevailed: this was not the way it was meant to be at all. And so something had to be done, but what...?

Our new home!

And then very suddenly, just as everything seemed to have gone dark forever, a chink of light appeared. It beckoned and wavered and lured us in. Father Earthly wasn't so sure - why should he trust this light? What if it was a hinkypunk? What was the light offering exactly? Did it have all the answers?


Gently, curiously and not a little warily we started to follow the light, to seek and know the source - Father Earthly dragging his heels a little reluctantly whilst I skipped eagerly ahead, stopping periodically to urge him on. Occasionally our path came to forks and crossroads and diversions, but on investigating these other ways, our light dimmed or was lost altogether. Once or twice, we very nearly lost our way entirely as the dark closed in on us.


Stay with me here, folks.


Today, this very moment, the light is beaming out strongly and bathing us, bright and glowing like a crisp Autumnal day. It feels good and it feels right. There are still many unanswered questions, but the most important have been satisfied. After our long darkness, I feel like a convalescent, letting the warmth and goodness seep back into my very bones.

The way things were...

There are of course some regrets and just a little bitterness. As I type I am sitting on our narrowboat (newly cleaned and tidied), the woodburner chucking out it's cheerful cosiness, and I'm surrounded by all our things, by our space. This was to be our home, and now we have to say goodbye: for financial (and practical) reasons, we can't even keep it on as an occasional outlet for adventures and hideaways. All of the work we have started, all of the special materials or pieces (such as our lovely stove!) that we chose or had planned - all seemingly wasted. That is very disheartening.


But I'm a philosopher and there's no point wallowing in the quagmire of regret. As a friend of ours likes to say "it's better to regret the things you've done than those you haven't".


And that's where you come in, dearest, most wonderful reader! Do you feel as though life has a strangle hold on you and you can't break free? Has all the light gone from your life and your mere existence is dull and grey, or worse...? Are you filled with regrets? Or dreams, passions, caged birds just waiting to be set free?


You know what to do my friends.


And if you need me, you will find me here.


xxx

Outside the Checkbox: No Fixed Abode

When we first started travelling in our van back in 2008, it soon became apparent that people really struggled to categorise us. Otherwise middle class, well-educated, and both working in revered sectors - and yet living in a van (even "camper was stretching it a bit far as it was basically a souped-up old Renault Master). We didn't even have a fixed site to call our own, or a "proper home" to retire to when it all got too much. 


Well I could write a whole book on perceptions and stereotypes but what particularly amuses me are the reactions we've garnered over the years when we divulge we have no address.


"But how do you get post?" is my favourite query, usually accompanied by an expression more suited to news that martians have just landed. 


The fact is, I love not having an address. It lends a sense of anonymity and freedom: above all we don't have the dread of bills, official notices and junk mail dropping onto the door mat, for which I am endlessly grateful. 


Admittedly life on the boat provides a much easier solution to the issue, as we can appease people (or confuse them) with our mooring address. Some folks really don't like you not being able to give an address of some sort (it takes them out of their comfort zone) - and I'm not talking about people who want to send us birthday cards. So we give them the mooring address (where we may or may not be) and they're happy. Ish.


The other day I had to register with a doctor for the first time in a while and when I told the receptionist I couldn't receive mail at our mooring address, she stared at me and blustered "But what if we need to contact you urgently?". Er, phone me? And then, "What if we have to send you a hospital referral letter or something?", to which I just gaped at her completely nonplussed.


Our society has become so complacent, comfortable and myopic that we can't see beyond the ends of our own noses any more, and sometimes not even that!


What intrigues me most of all, though, is the utter hopelessness of our bureaucratic system in dealing with such a demographic as ours. We are, to all intents and purposes, "homeless", which is utterly bonkers.


The idea that you need an "address" to be a valid citizen of this country - regardless of how you otherwise contribute to society or to the economy etc etc - simply proves that we have a pretty crazy system in charge. And such a very British one at that - like having your status calculated from the car you drive or the clothes you wear. It makes me think of the Vernon family in Harry Potter. In which case, call me a witch any day (and your owl will find the boat if you want to send me a letter).

How to be a Super Woman: Meet Fanciful Alice!

1. Hi! Tell us a bit about yourself
I would describe myself as a mother, wife, writer, dreamer, vegetarian, gardener, crafty girl and most certainly the owner of itchy feet! Currently I live on a narrowboat not too far from London with my husband, young daughter and our beloved dog. I write on a freelance basis for a number of magazines about travel and sustainable living and in 2009 my first non-fiction book, Tales from a Travelling Mum, was published. 



2. Do you have a 'grand plan'? Do you think this has changed at all over the years?
I think that since f . o . r . e . v . e . r my plan has been to live a life true to my heart's desires and for as long as I can remember those desires have always been focused on the ability to travel freely, live in new and exciting places, meet and learn from inspiring people and then write about those experiences. Sometimes I think I was born with a pen and a map in my hand and I feel so blessed that thus far I have been able to develop my life so that travel and living in other countries, and in turn having the words there to share, has been a major part of it. 


When I was 17 and working in a 9-5 office job paying rent on a flat I dreamt of seeing the world, I just wasn't sure how or when it was going to happen. I would devour books from the library on travel and living abroad and spend my days clock-watching, staring out of the window day-dreaming. Eventually I did get the opportunity to do short back-packing and driving trips through France and Spain before I headed off on my first big trip to Japan for six months at age 24. You could say I was hooked then. Hooked on spending extended time in places, hooked on new sights and sounds, and in love with just getting out there and living an adventure.  


After that I landed a job writing for a tourist guide which saw me travelling the world solo - I was in heaven! I absolutely loved the thrill of being out there seeing places and meeting people, but I also realised that solo travel - although an amazing experience for me - could get lonely. On a break from that job I met my now husband and after a brief stint of settledom, in 2008 we sold up, packed our belongings and headed off around France, Spain and Portugal with a camper and a loose plan that we might find somewhere to start a new more sustainable way of life. We had a fabulous time but we didn't find the right place at that point so eventually we returned to England and for the last year or so we have been living on a narrowboat. We love it: the slower pace, the feeling of being so close to nature, the sense that we are living more lightly on the earth ... but the feet are itching and now that my daughter is a little older there is talk of another adventure.



I really believe that you see so much more, hear so much more and live so much more when you pack a bag, a tent (or a camper) and leave without a plan. This kind of simple travel, which needn't be to the ends of the earth, has always been, and still is, my favourite kind. No doubt my desire for this kind of trip came about after I read Laurie Lee's, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, many years ago. The idea of taking only what we need and really submersing ourselves in a new culture is like a drug to me and doing a major trip on foot is definitely something we have in mind. 


Of course, this constantly evolving way of living can cause frustration, but perhaps more with other people's views on how we are all supposed to live! Now I'm 35 I am becoming more open to the idea that I am simply a perpetual wanderer always looking to embrace and enjoy new experiences and places. I'm lucky that I have a husband who shares the dream and that we both believe there are huge pluses to raising a child in this perhaps slightly unorthodox way. 


So no, looking at my answer, I don't think the plan has changed at all over the years!


3. What gets you up in the morning?
My 4-year-old daughter and our dog climbing into bed... that's if the ducks haven't woken me up first tapping their beaks on the hull of the boat!


4. Run us through a typical kind of day
Well, I stay home with my young daughter while my husband works - some mornings, some afternoons. When he's not here we hang out, usually gardening, doing crafty stuff, painting, reading books or visiting her friends and my friends. When daddy gets home we normally go for a big dog walk or cycle as a family and now it's Summer, we always take a picnic. We like to spend plenty of time just hanging out together at rivers, lakes, forests, play parks, and beaches whenever we get the chance. Throw an ice-cream into the equation and that's our kind of happiness. Obviously we try to throw in travel trips whenever we can, both in England and abroad and cruise up and down the canal here in our floating home throughout the Spring and Summer months. 

I fit my writing work in during the evenings and I am also busy working on my second book, which I am writing long-hand whenever I find a spare moment before typing it up chapter by chapter. Despite temptation to write a follow-up to Tales from a Travelling Mum I have decided to follow my heart and concentrate on writing a novel, travel-inspired of course! I'm both excited and nervous about embarking on the journey towards trying to find a publisher for my fiction.


5. When you experience a setback how do you pick yourself back up again?
I believe in rolling with my feelings so if I'm feeling hit by a setback I just let myself be hit... and slowly I try to listen to my body and mind, recharging and refocusing along the way. Writing a diary helps me with this - if I can look back and see how I'm feeling on paper then I feel much more able to make greater sense of what is really going on and make plans to fix it.


6. Who or what inspires you the most?
People who follow their hearts and aren't afraid to push boundaries, step out of the box and do what makes them happy. People who have found a way to live a kind and thoughtful life submersed in nature. Close friends. My husband. My daughter. Books. There are so many books that inspire me, but perhaps sometimes it is just a few simple quotes that are enough to really touch my soul. I'm always dipping in and out of something or other. 


At the moment I'm reading 'Last Chance to See' by Douglas Adams and despite it being a great book full stop, in particular the other night I was reading a chapter on the endangered Northern White Rhinos in Garamba National Park. Here Douglas met Kes Hillman-Smith, a world renowned rhino conservationist and describes the house she lives in with her husband and their two small children: 

"It was a house they built themselves, out in the bush on the edge of the river ... when it rains they lower tarpaulins over the spaces where the windows aren't. For the two years it took them to build the house they lived in a tiny mud hut with a pet mongoose that used to dig up the floor looking for worms, a dog, two cats - and a baby."  

When I read something like this I immediately feel less crazy and most certainly inspired by the idea that life doesn't have to be all two up, two down, mortgage and new car sitting on the driveway. It can be, sure. But it doesn't have to be. That snippet of text has stuck with me the last few days.


7. We all have bad days when we doubt ourselves and our abilities. How do you get through yours?
I try to remain focused on those closest to me; those who I know really love me, support me and believe in me. Safety within a small unit of friends and family is all I need in life, that and I cry in front of a good movie, bake cakes ... and eat them.


8. What do you feel are your greatest achievements and why?
When I worked as a researcher for a tourist guide I had to visit resorts and hotels across the world and compile and write information to include in the guides. My first trip was to Canada in the middle of winter and I was s**t scared. I had fabricated the truth somewhat in my interview and had never actually driven in another country, let alone with snow chains. Getting in the hire car at the airport in the dead of night and driving around Calgary trying to find my hotel - I could have cried, screamed, thrown a tantrum and everything in between ... but I kept going and went on to drive the amazingly spectacular Icefields Parkway in a snowstorm the day before they shut the road due to bad weather. After achieving that I felt that whatever life threw at me, I could deal with it. I think many people fail to realise the strength of the human spirit and allow fear to stop them from taking leaps, but I realise from overcoming my own fears that we are all so much stronger than we believe. 


I did cry when I had to drive in Bangkok though.


9. Tell us what you think constitutes a "Super Woman" and list 3 key ingredients for success.
I have to admit to feeling a little scared when you asked me to do this interview because I certainly do not see myself as a Super Woman. For me a Super Woman - other than someone dressed in a blue and red lyrca suit - is a woman who is strong and comfortable in her own skin, driven and unafraid to try and succeed in her chosen dreams and who radiates love to those she cares about. I want to live my life learning every day, to try and be the best person I can be so that I can live the best life I can... I don't always get it right, but these are the ingredients I do my best to include in my recipe for life.


10. Final words of wisdom?
Life really isn't a dress rehearsal and just because a large percentage of people are doing one thing, it doesn't mean it has to be right for everyone. If you have a different dream about how to live, don't be afraid to get out there and live it. I truly believe that you will regret it if you don't.


You can find Alice over on her website, Etsy shop, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.


Do you know someone who fits the bill of Super Woman? Even yourself - don't be shy! If you would like to take part or recommend a friend, please send a message with the details to me at giveanearthly at gmail dot com.